Previously on Flightmate...
E, C and B are on a trip to Europe. D hurts C's feelings when she tries to flirt with him. E is blamed for this and she wants to get D to apologize to C to make it up to her. However, D proposes a non-negotiable deal.
Chapter 5: You Might Be Likeable
Elena stood in her spot, shocked. She felt herself floating away and watching her shell-shocked version from above.
He is crazy Elena! You are not going to kiss him ok? Calm down. Everything's fine.
Right yeah, said that annoying voice that Elena thought she'd killed. Because Damon is just going to let you back out. You're totally not going to regret it, if you turn him down, right? Come on Elena! It's just one kiss! What's the big deal?
'Oh God.' She breathed, falling back, supporting her body on the armrest of the seat behind her, the loud war of words in her head not helping her in the slightest.
'Why do you… want me to kiss you?' Elena whispered, trying to make sense of his request. 'What happened to me hurting your feelings earlier? You don't like me, remember? Let's not forget that. Let's not forget your obvious disgust of having to sit next to me!' she folded her hands, watching him with narrowed eyes.
'I wasn't disgusted honey, I just succeeded to piss you off,' he enunciated. 'And who said anything about not liking you?'
Damon was still stretched out over their seats. Elena's eyes softened. He sat up slowly, using her seat as leverage. Rubbing his eyes and stretching. Damon…was cute... when he wanted to be. it is important to note that when it comes to Damon, nothing is just cute. Elena got an eyeful of his muscles in action, throwing her off for an instant. She surfaced when he gestured, inviting her to sit beside him. Elena was very curious as to how drunk Damon behaved.
Is he going to tell her why he was so mean? He wants to make amends? And most of all, explain why he wants a damn kiss? All his previous actions had made it perfectly clear that he didn't like me and wanted me gone. Now this? Bipolar much?
Elena cautiously moved forward, watching Damon for any sudden movements.
He remained motionless. After she was next to him, he turned to face her completely. Elena tried not to move. He muttered something incomprehensible. Elena moved closer. He seemed to appreciate her action since a wide, toothy grin broke out over his face. Elena noticed a dimple there. How did she not see that before? Oh right. I was too obsessed with his eyes and bad boy glory.
She couldn't stop herself. She smiled back.
He leaned closer and looked at her through his eyelashes, one finger to his lips. 'Sssshhhh' he said, giggling like he was about to share her darkest secret. Few moments later, his face sobered up and Elena's heart dug into her back.
'Elena, I have to tell you something,' he spoke slowly, eyes fluttering heavily.
'The reason I was so mean to you earlier was because I…' his face contorted with emotion. He was a panther who wanted to be loved. Damon was an insecure man who needed to be hugged. Oh, it was more than that. He wanted… a friend. She didn't want to think 'love' since she was not touching that one. Being in one relationship uptil now, Elena had more than enough experience on how it succeeded to break her. I'm not going to think about that now. Only one person pained by past memories at a time.
'It's okay, ssshh' she whispered, trying to comfort him, her hand halfway to touch his John Varvatos- clad shoulder. However, she stopped herself. Feeling bad for him, or feeling empathy of any kind proved harmful to her. It was her weak spot. That's how she ended up dating Matt. His mother left him for some guy named Pete and Elena remembered the day he called her. Long story short; understanding leads to friendship leads to love, which guaranteed ends in heartbreak. No way that's happening. Not again.
Damon put a hand around her neck as he pulled her close. He rested his head on her shoulder. Elena felt his warm breath on her neck. At this point, she remembered Caroline's words of wisdom when she told her about Matt. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex. She laughed it off with Bonnie. It wasn't her style. It was plain Caroline. In Elena Gilbert's rulebook, boys mean heartbreak… and loss… and pain. Her heart was not being broken again. Damon Salvatore was a guy- a Greek God, sorry- who impacted her but that meant nothing if Elena wasn't ready for romantic intimacy. His supreme hotness and PhD in flirting and smooth-talking should not play a factor in her judgement of him as a person. No way is that going to influence her decision to not kiss him.
'Wait.'
'Hmm mmm.'
Elena took a deep breath. The hairs on the back of his neck danced and Elena pulled away. 'Damon, I know this is really hard for you to hear but… I don't buy it.' She proclaimed, trying to convince herself more than him.
Damon sat up straight as a log, reluctantly, looking confused. 'What do you mean you don't buy it?' His forehead creased in confusion, 'What are you talking about?'
'This whole I-am-lonely-and-nobody-loves-me act. You seduced that air hostess within seconds; she left you her phone number for god's sake! If you always have women fall that quick for your… charms,' she trailed off, for the lack of a better word, 'then there is no way in hell that you are lonely. Nor will you ever be.' A rush of excitement flowed through her. Confidence and empowerment was Elena when calling someone on their bullshit. That situation was different. Her brain functioned properly when her heart swooned and fainted, a bodily miracle for which Elena was thankful. Effectively supporting her arguments with specific examples, not in school but also in her personal life - she was extremely proud of herself.
'You say that like you know me' he replied, looking away. Momentarily stunned that he hadn't responded with anger or passion, Elena didn't want to unleash her sass on him. Truthful and open, Elena stared at him as she repeated his words in her head. He merely stated them, like a fact. A heavy truth.
'Maybe if you let someone know you,' Elena coerced, finding her empathy under the many layers of defences, 'Let them see past the jackass Damon and the flirty Damon and the drinking-his-sorrows-with-bourbon Damon to finally close in on the real Damon,' whom I meet now and then in flashes, 'all hope won't be lost. You might be likeable,' Elena said, smiling at the end.
Damon looked up, hope etched on his face, his cockiness returning as fast as her heart beating. Elena recognized it as a defense mechanism.
Damon chuckled.
'You just told me you liked me, El-ena,' he said her name rolling it off his tongue, pale pink lips curving in a flirty smirk.
The warm feelings sucked out of her in a blink. Elena fumed. She wanted to wipe it off his smirk. She wanted to tell him to cut it - they were never going to happen. She wanted to strangle his neck until he gave
'Maybe I did like you. You know, around two minutes ago. Before you disgusted me with your non-negotiable, take it or leave it deal' she threw his words at him, tilting her head. He degraded her by blackmailing a kiss. It might have been alright if he joked about it. She was not a kissogram or a call-girl and she expected to not be treated like one.
'Disgusted? Really, Elena? Is that how you feel?' He bolted from his seat. 'Excuse me,' he said curtly to a confused Elena.
'Where are you going?' she inquired.
'If you are disgusted by the thought of kissing me plus you really think that low of me; fine. I don't care.' He uttered each word a powerful blow, constructed and fired to knock her down. 'I will go and apologize to Caroline. Happy?' he spit out, squeezing between Elena and the chair, striding over to Bonnie and Caroline's.
What just happened?
Elena's eyes were as wide as an owl. She certainly felt a strange need to fight and argue with that man. However at his words, she considered the possibility that he might be more than a douche. She broke through occasionally and then, she'd hurt his feelings. In the midst of everything, she focused on one thing. Victory. Damon agreed to apologize to Caroline. Without any incentive.
No strings attached.
Mission impossible: accomplished. Great job Elena. Her inner self threw a well-earned punch in the air, the blocked part accusing her of being a heartless monster at the same time.
Nervous, Elena fixed her eyes on the situation before her. She bent forward trying to see Caroline over Bonnie. Hand over her mouth, Caroline stared out the window. She felt Damon tap on her shoulder - Bonnie visibly flinched at his proximity, Caroline jumped in her seat. Realizing who it was, she frowned and turned back to glaring at poofy white clouds floating outside the glass window.
Damon tried again, but she stayed in her place like a rock.
'Caroline, will you look at me?' Damon muttered, exhausted and annoyed. Caroline turned to face him completely.
'What do you want Damon? Come here to hurt me some more?' Caroline spat bitterly, piercing him with her eyes.
Damon's eyebrows lifted up. 'Caroline…Just hear me out ok. I- uhh I just wanted to um…' Elena watched him trying to come up with an appropriate word. Elena physically felt Damon's awkwardness at apologizing. She figured he'd rarely done it before. Caroline still glared at him, trying to fry him with her mascara-lined eyes. 'apologize.' He finished in a low voice, fumbling with his fingers.
Elena stopped breathing. The sound of air leaving her body drowned what little she could hear.
Caroline seemed to soak in his words. Damon remained standing next to Bonnie's seat and judging from his face, clearly cursing Elena internally. The long silence broke with muffled laughter.
Caroline was laughing at Damon as she stood up from her seat.
'Damon Salvatore, the egomaniac who earlier defined me as a 'shallow, useless, waste of space, you have asked for my forgiveness,' Elena grinned at Caroline's flair for dramatics, 'I forgive you.' She announced, as though Damon was then free to live. 'Before you are completely forgiven, I want to know your opinion,' she paused, smiling at him. She gleefully looked at Bonnie who was sitting clueless of her intentions as Elena. Glancing back at Damon, she whispered theatrically, 'what do you think of Caroline Salvatore?'
Damon's eyebrows shot up. He smiled incredulous, when Caroline began giggling. Elena suppressed a giggle herself. Damon's face was priceless and worth it for Caroline to joke around.
'Thank you Caroline' he breathed softly, with a genuine smile, understanding he was forgiven. Caroline's smile expanded.
'Oh well, we wouldn't have worked out anyway,' she said, resigned but her spirit no less trampled. 'Plus, I like Caroline Forbes.'
Elena did not expect to see the smile widening on Damon's face. He genuinely seemed to like Caroline then. He had a good side. Why didn't he show it?
Damon sauntered happily over to Elena. Elena warily watched his smile turn sinister. Elena knew he was back to cocky Damon before he spoke a word.
'So how about that kiss?' he asked, eyes shining with glee.
Oh well. We lost the Best TV couple of the year. But may I just say that Klaine is not even nominated for MTV Ship of the year. We are up against some of the biggest ships ever like Destiel, Johnlock and Sterek. They just won the battle. We'll win the war.
Blaze on my fellow DEers. Read this: blackbellsandroses dot tumblr dot com /post/90992550760/damon-and-elena-fire-and-blood
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